


Deal

by This_Time_I_Wont_Regret_My_Username



Series: A Collection of One-Shots for THC [18]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: But More Hurt When You Realize That This Is Canon Compliant, Everything Hurts, F/M, Harry & Cedric Friendship, Harry Is Kind Of Bitter, Hurt/Comfort, Mature Harry, Triwizard Tournament, Wise Harry, all the feels
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 03:52:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 989
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13286424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/This_Time_I_Wont_Regret_My_Username/pseuds/This_Time_I_Wont_Regret_My_Username
Summary: Cedric can't sleep, so he's lying out in the grass in front of the Black Lake when Harry Potter steps up next to him. They aren't supposed to be on good terms because of the Tournament, but Harry's so much more mature and intelligent than Cedric ever made him out to be. They have a conversation and Cedric realizes that Harry isn't everything that he seems.





	Deal

Cedric was lying on his back by the Black Lake at night, staring up at the stars. He heard someone walk up to him, but he didn't look over. If it was a teacher, he'd take the punishment without complaint, he wasn't going to be bothered by it.

"Diggory?" It was a boy's voice. Harry Potter's voice, Cedric recognized. That made Cedric look over to the passerby.

"Yup. What are you doing here, Potter?" Cedric asked, sitting up on his elbows. He quirked an eyebrow at Harry, who was blushing a little in the dim light.

"I could ask you the same thing," Harry said. Cedric chuckled and patted the ground next to him.

"If you sit, we can tell each other all about why we're here," Cedric said. Harry looked conflicted, but he finally sat next to the older boy. After a few minutes of silence, Cedric said, "You really didn't enter your name in the Goblet, did you?"

"Of course not. I'm fourteen years old, not stupid," Harry said irritably. _He must be so tired of people asking him that question_ , Cedric thought.

"Some people would say there's no difference," Cedric joked, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips. Harry chuckled and laid down on his back, using his hands as a pillow for his head.

"What are you thinking?" Harry asked quietly after a few moments.

"What?" Cedric asked.

"I can never tell what you're thinking. Normally, people are so easy to read, but youâ€¦" Harry trailed off, blushing. Cedric smiled.

"I'm really sorry you got dragged into this Tournament, Harry," Cedric said sincerely. Harry looked at him in surprise.

"You're the only one that thinks so," Harry said bitterly.

"I don't think that's true," Cedric said, frowning.

"Cedric, when was the last time someone asked you if you were feeling okay?" Harry asked seriously. Cedric opened his mouth to answer when he realized what he was going to say.

"Right after I was burned by the dragon," he said.

"Exactly. Everyone thinks it's so cool be a champion, but they don't get it, do they," Harry stated. It wasn't a question.

"You seem too familiar with all this, Harry," Cedric said.

"Do you know what it's like to be famous? This is what fame is. People staring at you and expecting you to be fine because they wouldn't be able to handle you if you weren't. I never asked for my parents to be murdered by Voldemort or to have survived that curse. Fame isn't something you choose, Cedric," Harry said softly, yet angrily. Cedric sighed.

"You are too young to know that," Cedric said softly, sorrow edging his voice. Harry snorted.

"Why are you awake?" Harry asked, changing the subject.

"Cho broke up with me," Cedric said.

"Oh."

"Because, apparently, I'm cheating on her with Fleur Delacour. At least, she thinks so," Cedric explained, laughing softly. Harry chuckled in spite of himself. Cedric thought he would've made Harry uncomfortable for bringing up Cho, but Harry didn't seem bothered. Maybe Cedric was wrong about Harry in more ways than he thought. "Why are you here?"

"I couldn't sleep," Harry said.

"Did you have a nightmare? Or were you just worried?" Cedric asked, genuinely concerned for the younger boy.

"Nightmare," Harry whispered. Cedric looked at him through the corner of his eye. Harry had a look of pain on his face as he remembered the dream.

"Can you tell me what it was about?" Cedric asked softly. He didn't want to pressure Harry, or make him feel cornered, so he didn't look at him.

"Iâ€¦ I can remember it, you know. The night my parents died," Harry whispered. "My mum was standing- standing in front of me. She was begging him not to kill me." Harry's voice broke.

"Merlin," Cedric said. "I--God, Harry. I didn't know." He was horrified by the thought of it.

"No one does. It's fine," Harry said airily. Cedric sat up, finally looking Harry in the eye.

"That's terrible, Harry," Cedric said seriously.

"I know," Harry said after a moment's hesitation. Cedric wondered if people even knew Harry. It didn't seem like it, the way he spoke about things.

"So that's what your dream was about?" Cedric laid back down on the grass, not looking at Harry as he changed the subject.

"Yes," Harry lied. Cedric could tell he wasn't being truthful, but didn't want to push Harry. He respected Harry's privacy, realizing that that's what Harry wanted after constantly being in the spotlight. "I have a question."

"Shoot."

"Are you ever afraid? About being in the Triwizard Tournament?" Harry asked. He said it in a way that wasn't nervous or embarrassed, but like he was merely concerned for Cedric's well-being. It sounded odd coming from someone as young as Harry. It was like Cedric was speaking with an adult who had seen terrible things.

"All the time," Cedric admitted with a laugh, brushing away his thought of, _Harry probably has_.

"Let's be afraid together, then," Harry said softly. Cedric turned his head to look at the younger boy, but Harry was looking at the sky. "Let's make a promise." Harry sat up on his elbows, looking Cedric directly in the eye. "I'll protect you with my life and you'll protect me with yours." Harry stuck out his hand in a gesture so innocent and hopeful that it tugged on Cedric's heartstrings. Harry seemed so young, all of a sudden.

Harry was, Cedric thought, the perfect actor. It was saddening. Cedric knew that Harry probably had a lot of secrets. He wondered who else knew them. He hoped that he would get to know Harry better. He seemed like he needed someone like Cedric to talk to.

But could he trust Harry? That thought was banished from Cedric's mind as quickly as he thought it. There was no doubt; of course he could.

Cedric took Harry's hand.

"Deal."

**Author's Note:**

> *sobs* I swear, I don't know why I do this to myself.  
> I was (and still am, really) into Cedric/Harry at the time that I wrote this. I wasn't sure how I could pull off a fic between the two of them for THC because of the word limit, so I thought I might so a friendship between them instead of a romantic relationship. I think it turned out very well.  
> The prompt was "Cedric Diggory [character]."  
> ...I should've written a fluff piece with Cedric/Harry, just generally being adorable after the War. *sniffles and blows nose*  
> Please leave a comment/kudos if you liked it! If anyone wants to see that fluff piece, I can try, but I'm gonna need a word/setting/or dialogue in order to get my inspiration and make it readable. I tend to run off with things if I don't have a guideline. Thanks for reading!


End file.
